29. TURKEY AND WILDCAT

Wildcat was splitting rails when Turkey Gobbler came up. Wildcat was about to shoot him when Turkey said, "Wait," and he came near. Then he said, "You can pick my feathers off and I will go to the place where your wife lives, let her kill and cook me, and when I am done you can eat me when you get there." So he sat down on a log and Wildcat plucked him. After he had plucked him, Turkey said, "I shall be cooked well enough when you get home," and he started off.

When he got to Wildcat's house he said, "Your husband said to me, 'Let me pluck you and then you may go to my home and my wife will pound up cold flour for you and you can tread on her.'" Forthwith she pounded up cold flour for him, he trod on her, shouldered the cold flour and went off.

When Wildcat came home at noon he said, "Is that turkey done?" "No; when he came here he said, 'Your husband said to me, "Let me pluck you, go to my home, and my wife will pound up cold flour for you and you can tread on her.'" I pounded up cold flour for him and he trod on me and went off," she said.

Then Wildcat got a gun and said, "In which direction did he go?" He was shown the way and followed, and before he had gone far be came upon many turkeys walking around with the one he had plucked among them. Already he had feathers stuck on him in different places. As he went about he would throw cold meal into the mouths of the others and each of them would give him a feather. He was sticking them on his body and soon the one who was creeping upon him could not distinguish him from the rest.

While the one who was going to kill him was following, they discovered him creeping up and ran away so fast that he could not catch them. He set out for home unable to accomplish anything.